It's about to be party central around here! I turned 60 a couple of days ago so this weekend we are going to celebrate with family and friends. We have had a plan in place, and gathered food and other items - to be ready. But before a plan is put in motion some evaluation needs to take place. My husband and I have had the plan in place for awhile, and we let people know a long time ago. As we looked at the calendar we knew it was the beginning of spring break and some people would need to travel a few hours to get here, and make their plans, so we wanted them to know what we were thinking.
Now the time is here, and a deeper evaluation is necessary. Of course, reading Nehemiah this morning got me thinking about just that! Let's take a look:
Nehemiah 2:11-16 So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later, I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took no pack animals with us except the donkey I was riding. After dark I went out through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal's Well, and over to the Dung Gate to inspect the broken walls and burned gates. Then I went to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but my donkey couldn't get through the rubble. So, though it was still dark, I went up to the Kidron Valley instead, inspecting the wall before I turned back and entered again at the Valley Gate. The city officials did not know I had been out there or what I was doing, for I had not yet said anything to anyone about my plans. I had not spoken to the Jewish leaders - the priests, the nobles, the officials, or anyone else in the administration.
Special event celebrations are fun, and the planning is part of that fun. When I turn my thoughts to more serious things, like Nehemiah thinking about the task of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, the planning and preparation is much different. When a relationship is broken down, and possibly even in ruins, sometimes it seems impossible to fix. We can have a great plan in place, but until we examine all aspects the rebuilding can be hard. We see brokenness and just think to ourselves "I will just fix this, I will change everything about the situation", yet unless we take the time to examine why the relationship is in such a poor state it may just be a band-aid fix that soon is soiled and not really fixing the wound at all. Or perhaps we look at the relationship and see such huge rubble we think there is no way it can be repaired. I'm sure most who looked at the destruction of Jerusalem looked at that rubble and just said "There is no way, I'm giving up on the hope of that ever being fixed". Nehemiah was in anguish over the destruction and its effect on the people. He cried out to God and admitted his own sin, he then had a plan. He put that plan in motion and he then examined further to see for himself what needed to be done. As he walked around in the darkness, truly examining the rubble I'm sure he still saw hope. He believed that it would be restored, he saw the beauty pushing through.
Today as you go about your routine, take a moment to examine the relationships in your life. Are there some that are so broken they seem beyond repair? Look at your part in that and take a deeper look. Also look at others and really see - perhaps there is more to the situation than is first visible. Look all around at your relationships from all angles -the lowly 'dung gate' to the 'king's pool' and determine where the cracks are. Rebuilding is hard and sometimes painful. But the beauty that can come through restoration is like none other!
Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Lord, help me today evaluate my situations and relationships. Let me see deeply, let me see accurately. Help me recognize the hope and nurture it. Walk with me through my journey today God, and always. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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